Metaphor for Dreariness
Winter is metaphorical for discouragement. Brand says that winters in the city are inevitable and in other times they are unforgiving. The author talks about a case in the past the winter had come with so much destruction such that the army had to be brought to remove the snow that had piled on the streets. The city came to a standstill with the obliteration of the driveways and other sorts of damages. The politicians fell out as they blame one another for the quagmire but it was all in vain as winter as it was, was something that they were incapable of preparing for. To prove that the winter represents a total lack of cheer, the author says that it smelt of eagerness as well as embarrassment. The people yearn for a human feel during the winter. Moreover, Brand says that spring is the time of possibility. Regardless of how the past days might have been bleak, the melting ice carries all the discouragements away.
Simile for pollution
Dionne Brand describes the challenges of urban life in Toronto and other cosmopolitan cities. One of the challenges is pollution and is manifested by the garbage that is buried under the snow during the winter. Brand says that at the commencement of winter the garbage reappears in the same way as old habits. This comparison constitutes a simile. The alleyways are in a total mess from the cluttering of plastic bags, bottles, pop cans and beds that have been thrown away. Brands says that the city smells of embarrassment.
